Serendipity
by obscurci la lumiere
Summary: Serious AU: Charlie Kelly is at the lowest point in his life, but when a new girl moves in, could she change that? Suddenly the waitress is interested in him, Frank decides to help Charlie be happy for once, and Mac and Dee have a thing? Rated M for some mature chapters. CharliexOC, MacxDee.


_November 16th, 2010_

_South Philly_

_Redwood Apartments_

The door banged open and Charlie stumbled in drunk, as usual. His apartment was the epitome of an unruly mess but somehow he couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

Throughout the years his life had become a shamble. He used to try in school, used to attempt to read correctly and even sought help and checked his desire to do stupid things. However, after Dee and Dennis moved back from UPenn after their college years and when Mac came back from school in New York, the gang seemed to fall back into their old habits.

One thing lead to another, and in two months, he had dropped out of Drexel University a semester before he was supposed to graduate, he was flat broke, and had a new addiction to alcohol and occasionally cocaine (courtesy of Dennis and Dee). His life had become an absolute shamble in such a short amount of time, and now he was stuck doing Charlie work until he was dead.

He couldn't stand his life now, but he couldn't change. It was too late for him, and his friends would never help him now. They viewed him as a failure, someone they could use, a disposable idiot. He held no emotional value in their hearts, but instead, a source of laughter.

He knew he was worthless, deep down inside. He tried to fill the void so many times.

He drinks to cope with the pain of his failures, he never thought to keep trying to improve his reading and writing because he saw no point, and he went along with his friends' ideas simply because they were all he had. They constantly ridiculed him on his intelligence and showed him no respect. Their level of indifference on his state of mental health left him to believe that no one loved him, and no one ever would.

He had tried so many times.

He loved the waitress from the coffee shop but she never gave him the time of day. He wanted her to love him, to show him someone in the world cared for him. He wanted someone to love him just to show him that he wasn't a complete failure.

He sighed as his ramblings and thoughts faded off and he settled into bed, dreading the day to come.

* * *

The next afternoon he was awoken from his nap by a timid knock on the door. Groaning, he got up and inspected his apartment and looked at the clock, which read 5:48. He was a mess of course but he reasoned it was probably one of his friends who had come to alert him of some crazy scheme that would change their lives.

"Look, Mac, I promise I'll return your nun chucks when I finish filming-"

He was cut off when he opened the door to see the face of a young woman, who was approximately the same age as him.

She wasn't anything special, in fact maybe even the opposite. She was a few inches shorter than his 5'8" frame and was mousy, on first glance. She was in a pair of maroon high waited shorts with sheer black tights, a white striped blue dress shirt, and donned a pair of ruby red ballet flats. Her face was average, and she had a tanned skin tone, and her frame was tiny. Her curves were minimal, and only defined in contrast to her lack of body weight.

The only striking features she had was her beautifully kept hair and her eyes, highlighted with think black lines, and widened at the sight of him.

"Uh, can I help you?"

"Yeah... uh, well... I... I was inquiring about a bar tending position down at Paddy's Pub and the guy sent me here and told me to talk to Charlie Kelly?"

Her voice was quiet and was slightly high pitched, but since she kept a soft tone it was almost comforting.

"Uh... well. Who sent you here?" he asked, confused as to which idiot thought this was funny.

"A short guy named Frank Reynolds? I showed up wearing formal clothing and he said to come here and to wear what I would to an Iron Maiden concert?" she said, with a confused expression on her face, divulging to him that she wasn't entirely sure what Frank had meant.

"Oh of course," he said with a laugh, "well, come on in, I guess."

"Thanks."

She looked around his apartment and almost crinkled her nose, but then remembered her own problems and stopped. She took a seat on the ratty looking coach and let her eyes scan the small space.

"Nice place." she said.

"Oh yeah. The building just got renovated but I haven't had time to clean it yet. So do you live around here, I mean how did you find out about Paddy's?"

Charlie couldn't actually believe she was here. Even though she didn't look like anything special, she hadn't insulted his mess of an apartment and had even stumbled on words to say when she say his face. He sized her up and on further inspection actually found her to be overall very fragile. Her dainty wrists were covered by her sleeves but her fingers kept brushing against them, in an almost soothing motion. Her frail arms and legs made him think she could snap at any moment and he suddenly felt the urge to hold her still so she didn't break.

"Oh, well... I'm going to work downtown for one of the companies and since my new place is still being built I can't start until the Fall quarter, so for the mean time I'm just trying to settle in and maybe get a small job or something to fill the time until September." she spoke in a quiet manner, and had a tinge of nervousness in her voice.

She didn't meet his eyes that often but when she did he wished she wouldn't look away so quickly.

"Well, do you have any bar tending experience?"

"Oh, yeah, I used to bartend at another tiny bar in my hometown in California."

"You lived in California? That sounds sweet, were you like, best friends with the Terminator or what?"

Her laugh, while soft and higher pitched than his own, rung through the otherwise quiet apartment.

"Well, why don't we pop into Paddy's and you can show us what you really can do and meet the gang."

"Oh... yeah, that sounds good..." she hesitated but flashed him a small smile.

A concerned look washed his face and he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Well I'm not that great with new people."

He laughed and she couldn't help but let another small smile slip as his eyes crinkled and he smiled.

"That's funny, but you'll be fine. However, Dennis usually wants anyone interviewing for the bar tending position to be dress less formally... how about you wear what you would if you were actually going to a concert." he said with a smirk.

Her knees weakened at his smirk and the glint in his eyes. She looked away and she could almost feel the tension.

"If you insist. I'll just change and pop out quickly. I'll meet you in front?" she asked, and snapped her head towards him.

He nodded and watched the sway of her lithe hips on her way out.

He exhaled harshly as she shut the door behind her. He couldn't shake the feeling that she seemed too nervous. Could it be that she maybe even liked him? He couldn't remember the last time a girl had been infatuated with him, in fact, he couldn't remember the last time any girl had even liked being around him since high school. He shrugged but he couldn't help but notice that his heart rate sped up and that his face was flush.

He splashed water on his face and trimmed his beard before deciding to put on a clean white shirt under his signature green jacket.

He didn't know why but he had the sudden urge to actually clean his image up a little bit when he was around this new girl. He chuckled to himself as he reminded himself that he shouldn't get too excited: she was only staying in a trashy apartment complex like this for a few months until one of those new rich people buildings were done. She was working for a company, and she was successful. He was nothing but a deadbeat janitor; a loser.

He shook his head as he slipped on his black and white Adidas runners and shut and locked his front door.

How could someone successful possibly like him?

* * *

She hadn't fully grasped that he hadn't pushed away or ignored her like almost every other guy had in her life.

Hell she didn't even understand why he didn't just ignore her like everyone else did.

She knew she wasn't beautiful, in fact, she knew she was the opposite. She had no striking features, and she knew she was common, her features more average than her daily coffee. She couldn't understand why she had to be like this. Her older sisters got many dates and they looked similar to her, but then she reasoned that they weren't the pathetic ones in the family: she was.

Ever since she was small her mother had no faith in her, and as she grew older, her father viewed her as a lost cause. Her mother constantly berated her about her grades and called her a failure almost every minute of every day and her father was always at work and never seemed to care for her. And why would he? She was stupid. Never making A's in high school, she had to go to a local college with hope of redemption, and when she got into Columbia two years later she was overjoyed, but her parents hadn't paid that much attention.

After all, her older sisters were Harvard and Yale alumni and they had gotten in after high school, effortlessly acing all of their courses and managing to score internships and jobs left and right.

She shook her head and stood in front of her mirror in her underwear, disgusted.

Her older sisters had always told her she was chunky, even if no one at school even remotely thought that, but since her parents had agreed and her entire family had made it a point to constantly berate not only her intelligence and competence, but also her weight, she couldn't help but feel a sadness in her heart over the truth of their words.

She used to be so thin, she thought, and now she was as thick as a whale, as her eldest sister would put it.

She pinched a tiny inch of skin in between her far apart thighs, and her face emulated her thoughts: disgusting.

Sighing, she realized she had no time to think about this now.

Charlie, as nice as he was, would not wait for her forever, and she was in no position to turn down a job now.

She stepped out of her apartment and locked it, and made her way down, hoping she get the job.

* * *

Charlie had only been waiting for fifteen minutes but as he heard the loud bang of the front door to the building slam and the click clack of her shoes, he turned, not sure what he was expecting.

She was dressed impeccably for the part: her high waisted bubblegum pink skater skirt brushed the middle of her thighs and complemented her black crotched and fitted bustier top perfectly. The box and slightly low cut and constricting look of her bustier lifted her breasts up and gave them a small oomph; her black leather Jeffrey Campbell "Lita" booties gave her both height and made her impossibly thin legs look long, even if she still did come up two inches shorter than him.

Her makeup had been upgraded from a tiny bit of eyeliner to a full design to accentuate her eyes, her best feature, in his point of view. The deep red shade of her lips accentuated her face and she looked better than ordinary now. Her hair was let down, and was long and went past her bust, almost brushing the hem of the short bustier, but not quite. It was generally straight and silky, however had a few minuscule waves, and was parted in the middle. Some wisps in the front went to her chin and grazed the sides of her face, framing it effortlessly.

His hands itched to run through her hair but he refrained from scaring her off.

They walked briskly to the bar as the sun started to set, and he was impressed she could keep up in her shoes, but she showed no signs of backing down.

The first thing that hit her when she entered the bar was the warm atmosphere it served.

The Irish decorations and rows of liquor contrasting heavily with the warm brown wood walls and floors, as well at the bar itself. The booths were generally empty, except for a few burly men, who seemed to not notice the loud conversation the four tightly huddled people were having at the center of the bar.

She tentatively took a step forward and the clack of her Jeffrey Campbell's was enough to have the four people snap their heads up.

Her face and neck flushed, and she instantly wished she had brought something to cover up in, but knew she couldn't back out now.

Charlie, on the other hand, bellowed out a loud, "Hey-oh!"

"Hey Charlie, who's this here?" A tall blonde woman asked from behind the bar. She scanned the newcomer up and down before drawing her eyes away, a blank expression on her face.

"Oh this is..." Charlie trailed off and looked at the woman beside him and realized he hadn't even bothered to know her name.

"Priyanka. I just moved here and was wondering if you guys needed a bartender." She spoke in a soft manner, but managed to project enough so that they all heard her.

"Well, I didn't think you were serious, did you actually go to me and Charlie's apartment?" A stout and almost bald man asked her.

Her nod and widened eyes suggested that she hadn't known it was a tactic meant to discourage her.

"Well, we spoke and she seems to really know her stuff so I decided we should give her a chance." Charlie cut in, hoping to at least make her feel like she was welcome.

"Well she's certainly dressed for the part." the tall and handsome man who was nursing a beer murmured to the slightly muscular guy with slicked back hair.

"Okay, let's see what you can do. We'll bring in as many people as we can in the next hour and we'll see how well you can do this." the small guy spoke, almost confident that she was too weak to even attempt the task.

Priyanka smirked and her eyes instantly turned a steely back and she made her way to the bar, even sashaying a little to give the illusion of confidence.

Pretty soon a large crowd of mid 20 year olds came in and half sat at tables and half sat on bar stools.

She immediately got to work and took drink orders quickly and organized the drinks she was making. Serving everyone in the bar stools quickly, she took the orders Dee brought in and furrowed her eyebrows and sucked in one of her cheeks as she quickly mixed cocktail after cocktail and didn't seem to falter.

Her demure exterior held up as she looked at some patrons under hooded lashes and let a smirk grace her face through the night.

The gang sat at a farther away table and observed her.

"She seems pretty dedicated for a bartending position." Frank remarked, slightly impressed.

"Yeah but it's not like she's an ultra hot bar maid who's going to have guys tripping in here by the dozens. She's not even that great looking, and kinda bony." Mac huffed, confused as to why they were entertaining the notion of keeping her around.

"Well hold on, I mean, she has an air of class to her that I think we need to keep around here. I mean she works well, she's quick, and come on, Mac, it's not like she's Margaret, and you banged her, remember?" Charlie said, a little tweaked Mac would just flat out dismiss her.

"Yeah, yeah... huh. I dunno, why don't we ask Dee what we think of her first, I mean, she's been talking to her all night." Dennis put in, finally saying something.

"Dee! Over here!" Frank yelled.

Dee's head snapped up and she walked over, almost annoyed.

"What do you dick bags want?"

"What do you think of her?" Frank asked.

"Oh she's good. She's not as hot as me, so she's not really a threat, and she's nice. Especially her patience, I mean, man. You guys know just how much I hate bar tending, but she seems fine, and this is the most people we've had since that time we tipped." Dee gushed.

"Okay, for one, she's definitely hotter than you, even if she's not hot, and I don't know, you guys, she's still not the mind blowingly hot bar maid we need around here." Dennis remarked.

Mac nodded along but Charlie's and Frank's eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Well, for one, she can serve up these guys quicker than any of us, and even though she's a little on the skinny side, we could use someone that's not such a whore around here." Frank put in, his gravely voice low.

"Yeah and she's nice, and I think she would make a great bar tender." Charlie added, hoping to do well for his new friend.

"Alright, then it's settled, she can be the new bartender." Charlie said with finality.

As the bar cleared up and the now drunk crowd slowly left, the gang sat in front of the bar and counted all of the money.

"We made $436.56 tonight alone! That's more than we make in a month!" Mac said, now excited.

"Wow. How did you learn how to bar tend like that?" Dennis asked her, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, it's all about adding something in there so they come back for more." She said, a smug look coming over her face, insinuating she knew something they didn't.

"Okay, well... I think we have reached a decision, and we agree that you should be our new bar tender." Dennis said.

As they all cheered to the joy of having quadrupled their profits, they poured celebratory drinks, before Dee decided she would be going out and Mac and Dennis decided to go to the strip club.

As Priyanka explored the bar, Charlie's eyes followed her, quickly darting away whenever she or Frank would look in his direction.

Frank chuckled and elbowed him, and said, "Look, Charlie, if you like her, you should get her."

Charlie gave Frank a confused look and shook his head. He didn't like her, did he? No, he assured himself, he liked the waitress, maybe he even loved her. But Priyanka? She was just a friend, the first person in a while to treat him nicely. But wasn't that the point of love? To have someone to care about you since day one? He pushed the thought away. He loved the waitress. She had appreciated him once and was his dream girl. Sure, she wanted nothing to do with him, but he loved her nonetheless. She was a vision, and had the best smile. When her clear green eyes crinkled in delight when she laughed, his heart couldn't help but feel warm. _She_ made him happy. _She _was his dream girl. Not someone he had just met.

Right?

"Charlie! It's getting late, I should head home." he heard her soft voice echo.

He turned his head towards her. She was smiling and looked at him with soft, warm, brown eyes, and he smiled at her. The light highlighted her tan, and her arms folded under her bust, her fingers brushing her biceps before clutching them.

Frank chuckled again and got up, announcing quickly he had some errands to run and that he would see Charlie later.

"Well, how about we walk home together?" He spoke, his voice low.

Her lips curved up, and she turned turns the door, her long brunette locks flicking over her shoulder.

As they stepped out, the cool air hit them like a ton of bricks. Her face didn't show it, but he knew she was wincing on the inside. The cold Philly winters were nothing to scoff at. He slid off his green army jacket, and put it on her shoulders.

Her head snapped towards him in surprise, and her eyes widened. She looked shocked for a second, before giving him a small smile, and then quickly looking down in embarrassment, and then murmuring a soft, "Thanks."

He gave her a lopsided grin and watched her small hands clutch the worn fabric around her torso, the clicking of her booties making a rhythmic beat to their steps.

They walked in silence, both unsure of what to say. She hadn't met anyone who treated her so well in a long time, and neither had he.

Both wanted each other, but for entirely different reasons.

As she looked up, she noticed they were in front of their building, and she was almost disappointed that they would have to part ways soon.

As they stepped out of the elevator a few minutes later, they walked in front of her door, and she stopped to pull out her keys.

Fiddling with the lock a little, she got it open, giving him a glimpse of the salmon and coral colored apartment, before she took a step over the threshold.

She turned towards him and inquired if he wanted coffee.

He smiled and gave a polite no before saying goodbye. Her hand reached out and she barely caught his forearm and said, "Wait! Here's your jacket."

He looked into her concerned eyes and smiled, taking back his coat, before making his way home. The door softly clinked behind him, and he smiled as he walked to his own apartment, and looked down at his warm army coat.

* * *

A/N: Hello readers, I started watching _It's Always Sunny... _a few weeks ago and I always felt so bad for Charlie. I decided to write this to kind of deal with my own problems and even give his character depth by adding depression into his character.

I really hope people like this, and I hope you guys will read and review!


End file.
